Description of government structure:

Assembly: Zimbabwe has a bicameral Parliament consisting of the Senate with 93 seats and the House of Assembly with 210 seats.

Description of electoral system:

The Executive President is elected by popular vote to serve a 5-year term.

In the Senate, 60 members are elected
by popular vote to serve 5-year terms, 10 members are appointed
by the President, 16 members are elected
to serve 5-year terms, 2 members are designated
to serve 5-year terms and 5 members are appointed
by the President to serve 5-year terms*. In the House of Assembly
210 members are
elected
by popular vote to serve 5-year terms.**

* In the Senate, 60 members representing each province are elected by popular vote, 10 are provincial governors are nominated by the president, 16 seats are occupied by traditional chiefs elected by the Council of Chiefs, 2 seats are held by the president and deputy president of the Council of Chiefs, and 5 members are appointed by the president to represent special interests.

** A 2007 constitutional amendment increased the number of seats in the Senate from 66 to 93 and in the House from 150 to 210.

Main parties in the electoral race:

Party: Zimbabwe African National Union - Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF)
Leader: Robert MUGABESeats won in this Senate election: 30Seats won in last Senate election: 43Seats won in this House of Assembly election: 97Seats won in last House of Assembly election: 78

Party: Movement for Democratic Change - TSVANGIRAI faction (MDC-TSVANGIRAI faction)
Leader: Morgan TSVANGIRAISeats won in this Senate election: 24Seats won in last Senate election: 0Seats won in this House of Assembly election: 99Seats won in last House of Assembly election: 21

Party: Movement for Democratic Change - MUTAMBARA faction (MDC-MUTAMBARA faction)***
Leader: Arthur MUTAMBARASeats won in this Senate election: 6Seats won in last Senate election: 7Seats won in this House of Assembly election: 10Seats won in last House of Assembly election: 20

Party: United People's Party (UPP)
Leader: Daniel SHUMBASeats won in this Senate election: 0Seats won in last Senate election: N/ASeats won in this House of Assembly election: N/ASeats won in last House of Assembly election: 0

Party: Zimbabwe People's Democratic Party (ZPDP)
Leader: Isabel Shanangurai MADANGURESeats won in this Senate election: 0Seats won in last Senate election: N/ASeats won in this House of Assembly election: N/ASeats won in last House of Assembly election: 0

Party: Zimbabwe African National Union - Ndonga (ZANU-Ndonga)
Leader: Wilson KUMBULASeats won in this Senate election: 0Seats won in last Senate election: N/ASeats won in this House of Assembly election: N/ASeats won in last House of Assembly election: 0

Party: Federal Democratic Union (FDU)
Leader: Paul SIWELASeats won in this Senate election: 0Seats won in last Senate election: N/ASeats won in this House of Assembly election: N/ASeats won in last House of Assembly election: 0

*** A united MDC party received 41 seats in the 2005 House of Assembly election before splitting into factions later in the year, prior to the Senate election.